Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Most probably not, and more than likely even if you did happen to know me, you would not be admitting it freely. Perhaps it is my face which is by no means a pretty one or the all too common sneer that pulls back my right upper lip as I take in my surroundings. Regardless, the fact remains I personally am not a likeable fellow, nor might I add, have I ever tried to become such. In essence, I am nobody of import or of status and that is just fine with me.

Now, being a person of some limited intelligence, I have come to grips with this situation and incorporate it into my daily business. I accept the fact that people will automatically distrust and oft times fear me right off. Actually because it is so predictable, I have been able to navigate some very dangerous situations indeed and on occasion turn them to my advantage.

This all leads me to my true point and the Title of this post…

Recently it seems people take great stock in who they are or better yet who they believe themselves to be. I put up the cases of Henry Lewis Gates Jr. and Maine State Rep. Richard Blanchard (D-Old Town) respectively to make my point. Both of these men were in confrontations involving the authorities over this past month. In each of these instances the officers involved were very professional and courteous, however Mr. Gates and Rep. Blanchard were anything but. I have linked the Police reports for you to read yourself.

I examined each of these cases and came to realize that contrary to all the noise of Race or improper police behavior or even the implications of drunkenness, there was/is a constant underlying factor. A point from which, all the real trouble begins and makes the situation untenable. The starting and ending point lays in the attitude and thinking behind the statement “Do you know who I am?” Now to be fair neither of these two fine upstanding individuals actually asked that question, no they think themselves far too clever to turn such a mundane phrase. Instead Gates said “You don’t know who you are messing with” to a Cambridge police officer and Blanchard shouted “this is the last mistake you are going to make” to a Maine State Warden. They did manage to add some very nice curse words and personal insults to further their cause and Gates even went so far as to insult Officer Crowley’s mother.

So we must ask ourselves what exactly was the purpose and intent of those statements?

It is obvious to even one as common as I they are made to threaten and intimidate. The words chosen not so carefully are a crude attempt to force doubt upon the authorities during the confrontation. The idea is that the speaker is someone of importance and considerable influence and that the officers need to back away for their own good. The under lying threat is, though the Police are doing their duty as proscribed by the law, the person they are confronting is so powerful, that the laws do not apply to them and that they will bring that power to bear and destroy the officer’s career. The speaker is hopeful that the officer will bow to his wishes and back away in fear.

In both of these cases the accused tried to jeopardize the livelihoods of the authorities through a thinly veiled threat of retaliation. For all of the education and political contacts that these people have, one would think they would know how to exercise “power” effectively. Yet here we have two people who should know better acting the buffoon for all the world to see. I suppose they are not merely acting the part.

Evidently Higher Education does not provide courses to explain the fundamentals of power, for if it did these two dolts would not have found themselves in such a situation to begin with.

Let’s take Rep. Blanchard as an example. If he truly had the power through political connections to ruin the Warden’s career, why then announce it? Why bluster and bluff like an ape pulled from its tree? If the power existed then would it not have been more effective to quietly exercise that force by making the appropriate calls and not shouting out his name and title? Of course it would. Instead he capered about like a drunken fool besotted with self importance, so wrapped up in his own illusion he could not see reality. The reality being a threat made in such a public display proves that the actual force to carry out said threat is nonexistent. Even if the force was initially available, by loudly making the threat in earshot of witnesses he has negated the chance of pulling off any political skullduggery. Because now the witnesses know his intent and if anything was to happen to the recipient of the threat, an actual investigation would ensue. Any street tough understands this by age ten.

The same can be said of Gates in Cambridge. If he is such a close friend of our President then why not simply call him after the police left? I am sure his dear friend, who so quickly sided with him on National Television would have made the appropriate pressure come to bear on the Cambridge Police Department for having the temerity to investigate a possible burglary. What I really find interesting is that the cops were there in the Gates case to protect his property from possible robbery. Gates and Obama are so grateful that the police showed up they have been publicly condemning the Cambridge police since. So Gates actually had some power to play with it seems but it turns out it hurt the President more than it should have, and guess what?

For all of his efforts to cow Officer Crowley through foul language, threats and behavior that I personally would have broken his skull over, he failed. Jim Crowley is not intimidated in the least so the “threat” is wasted and unwarranted. So too is the power behind it. For again by making it such a public display, nothing bad can happen to the Cambridge Police Dept. without everyone thinking about the President’s friend.

Get it now you elitist morons?

I am now officially offering classes on this subject for all of our betters in the Academic and Political worlds in the hopes we can start to get back to something of a modicum of decency once again.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Courtroom video shows defendant Percy Phillips jumping up from his seat Thursday and knocking over the table in front of him. Phillips cursed at prosecutor John Balliet, called him a liar and then tried to get past a deputy.

Lt. Col. Carl Yates, a sheriff's department spokesman, told The Courier-Journal Thursday that Phillips "made an aggressive move in the direction" of Balliet.That's when Deputy William Greer grabbed Phillips until Deputy George Thornton yelled "Taser," then Greer backed away and Thornton fired.

Yates said Phillips was subdued, but was not seriously injured.Defense attorney Jay Lambert said he thought the situation was handled appropriately.

You know, I find this story interesting in that it comes on the heels of the Henry Lewis Gates Jr. incident which had the President of the United States chastising a Cambridge police officer for acting "Stupidly".

So I am wondering, as I watch two White court officers subdue a Black man in a most violent manner, if President Obama will cry out in protest over their actions? It is obviously a case of "Racial Profiling" as explained by the President himself. I'm also quite certain that the officers in question are pure racists, how can they not be? They are from the south after all and they are law enforcement personnel, two doubly damning strikes against them. I'm surprised the officers didn't yell out " Get em agin Jim!" and fire off another blast of electricity into the suspect.

It really is disappointing, that the incident was carried out in a calm, professional manner and that the officers did their jobs properly.

Wait!!! that doesn't matter does it now?

All kidding aside, I am glad that no innocent was harmed and that all was put back in order.

So I have a question or two for Barack Obama concerning this, and I am being serious now.

Why does this person who was tasered by two white officers not deserve the same attention given to Professor Gates who was politely asked for ID?

Is it because the defendant was obviously wrong and threatening in his behavior, if so then what of Gates? It does not add up. Perhaps this hapless criminal is beneath the President's notice as he is but a poor black man and not a graduate of Harvard, nor is he a friend. That would be logical as an explanation but it also sets a bad example.

For if we are to allow those who the President calls "friends" to break the law and get away with it by the force of the office, then that is an over extension of executive privilege.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Now that this lovely State, is being blessed with a couple of days of light and warmth, I can put forth this small joke without causing offense rather than mirth.

Too Wet.

A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into Heaven. Others though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning pit. But every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile.

After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow's curiosity got the best of him. So he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.

"Excuse me, Mr. Prince of Darkness," he said. "I'm waiting in line for judgment, but I couldn't help wondering, why are you tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the Fires of Hell with the others?"

"Ah, those," Satan said with a groan. "They're all from Maine... They're still too wet to burn."

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Thank you for visiting Mac na h'Eireann, I hope your experience was a good one and that you will return occaisionally to see what kind of trouble I might be stirring up. I appreciate your taking the time to read my ramblings and rantings.